This invention relates to machines for cutting long indefinite lengths of wire into shorter length pieces, and deals more particularly with an improved flying shear for use in such a machine.
Wire cutting-off machines are commonly used to cut wire from spools, swifts, drawing machines and other sources of relatively continuous supply into pieces of generally uniform length for use by other machines in making screws, nails, welding rods and a host of other articles. In such a cutting-off machine it is also well-known to use a flying shear as the actual cutting mechanism, such shear having a knife which is carried by a cutter head moved with the wire as the knife operates so that a relatively clean cut is made through the wire without need for interrupting the feed of the wire past the cutting station.
The general object of this invention is to provide an improved type of flying shear of the foregoing character wherein the cutter head and the knife are both driven by a simple single drive mechanism.
A further object of the invention is to provide a flying shear of the foregoing character wherein the drive mechanism for the cutter head and its knife is conveniently located in its entirety above the cutting zone to make it unlikely for the drive mechanism to become contaminated by debris generated during the cutting process and falling by gravity from the cutting zone.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings.